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Ermenegildo Zegna Celebrates 100 Years of Excellence
In 1910 an 18-year-old man named Ermenegildo Zegna opened a wool mill in the foothills of the Italian Alps (the quality of the water from the mountains plays a significant role in the luxurious yarns that are produced). When the company was founded the goal was to produce the finest fabrics in the world.
One hundred years later the Ermenegildo Zegna company is still producing the finest fabrics, as well as dressing men from head to toe in luxury garments and accessories. To celebrate this incredible milestone, Zegna celebrated with a cocktail party in Milan with 2000 of their closest friends.
Like Harry Rosen, Ermenegildo Zegna is a family owned business - the fourth generation is running the company today. Pictured above is our CEO Larry Rosen with Gildo Zegna, CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna. While trying to snap this shot I nearly got escorted out of the building by security! Never mind that I also had to fight through the real paparazzi! That's how much of a mob scene the celebration was. Attendees included such menswear icons as designers Giorgio Armani and Brunello Cucinelli - both are large buyers of Zegna fabrics for their own luxury collections.
The celebration featured a retrospective of fabrics and clothes, as well as exhibits to explain the intricate processes required in order to arrive at the final products. For example, over "500 hands" contribute to the making of a Zegna suit. Zegna controls the entire process from the selection of the sheep that produce the wool, to the weaving of the fabrics, to the construction of the suit, to the delivery to the customer. Below are some pictures from the exhibition.
A bale of raw cashmer fibre. Most of the world's cashmere comes from inner mongolia where the cashmere goats live at high altitudes, in very cold conditions. The animals grow warm coats of fur to protect themselves against the elements. It is this precious raw fibre that is used to create the most luxurious fabrics. Zegna starts with only the finest raw materials - it is the only way to ensure a superior end product.
This suit is from Zegna's archives. It was made in the 1940s. The wool fabric is a 500-gram weight that is extremely heavy. By comparison, today’s suiting fabrics weigh less than half! The technology today allows Zegna to produce very lightweight fabrics, which results in garments that are extremely comfortable to wear.
These are ski masks from the 1970s - this collection was an early pre-cursor to the collection is known today as Zegna Sport. At the time this fabric was very advanced. Zegna is known for their forward thinking and extensive research which allows them to continually create new and exciting fabrics.
Pictured above are some Zegna Sport jackets from the past several seasons. The Zegna family is very dedicated to environmental issues and they pride themselves on creating fabrics and clothes that are ecologically friendly. For example, they have a fabric called "Ecotene" which is made from recycled water bottles!
Ermenegildo Zegna has an incredible history, yet they are always looking forward to the future. They continue to build on the mission of creating the best fabrics in the world and they extend this world-class approach to all areas of their business. They effortlessly combine elegance and sophistication with a modern, forward-thinking approach to fabrics and clothing. It is this philosophy that keeps the company young and moving quickly into the future.
Happy 100th Birthday Ermenegildo Zegna!
- Shannon
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